To look like, to be like, to like

To like, to be like, to look like, as… as, not as … as

Kirill: Oh, a letter from Sandra! Finally! Let`s see how she`s doing. (Open the e-mail.)

Look at all these questions! ‘How are you? How is the family you`re staying with? What are they like? What do they look like? What do they like?’

MMMM….. Why is she asking the same question for several times? Почему она задает один и тот же вопрос несколько раз? ‘What are they like? What do they look like? What do they like?’ They are a bit different but I`m not aware of their meaning. Они немного отличаются, но я не знаю разницы в их значении. I think I`d better ask for advice. …

Kirill: Who`s online? ….. Oh, Vlad is online. Hope he`ll be able to help me. Let`s skype. …     Hi, Vlad. How are you doing?

Vlad: I`m fine. Thanks. Has anything happened? Why aren`t you sleeping so late?

Kirill: Vlad, I`ve got an e-mail from Sandra. And she is asking many very similar questions. I don`t know the difference between them. Could you help me?

Vlad: With pleasure. Hope I`m smart enough to help you.

Kirill: So, I`m sending you the questions. Here we go.

 Vlad: Oh, yes, I`ve got them! ‘What are they like? What do they look like? What do they like?’ Oh, everything is very easy. Look here:

We`ve got different phrases in these sentences. To be like - is used while describing the personality of someone or the attributes of something. Итак, ‘to be like’ используется при описании личности кого-либо (то есть, черты характера человека) или же признаки чего-либо (то при описании неживых предметов). So if you are asked: ‘What are they like?’, you should describe the personalities of your host family. So, what are they like, Kirill?

Kirill: They are kind, friendly and very sociable.

Vlad: That`s right. So, the next phrase is ‘to look like’. It is used to describe somebody`s appearance. А вот фраза ‘to look like’ используется при описании внешности человека. And if you are asked ‘What do they look like?’, you should describe people`s appearance. So, what are they like, Kirill?

Kirill: They are in their fortieth. Им около сорока. Mrs. Wilson is a good-looking woman with long wavy hair and kind eyes. Миссис Вильсон – красивая женщина, с длинными волнистыми волосами и добрыми глазами. Mr. Wilson is a tall slim man with short straight dark hair. Мистер Вильсон – высокий худой мужчина с короткими прямыми темными волосами. He is all smiles. Он всегда улыбается.

Vlad: That`s right. And the last question is: ‘What do they like?’ Here you have to write about their preferences in something: food or leisure, etc. А вот в данном случае нам нужно ответить о предпочтениях в чем-либо: еде, отдыхе и т.д.

Kirill: I see now. And the reply to the question: ‘What do they like? would be ‘They like good music, delicious food and friendly talks at the dinner table.’

Vlad: You`ve caught the idea! But to remember the meanings of these phrases better you should do some tasks. So, I`m sending you them.

Kirill:  You`re the best! Thanks Vlad! Let`s see what we   `ve got here.

At first we have to match the phrase with its meaning.

The verb ‘to like’ – нравиться, любить. So we match it with ‘to find enjoyable, agreeable’ – находить приятным, это и есть – нравиться. ‘To be like’  - описание личности, характера, so we match it with ‘to describe personality’ – описывать личность (характер). ‘To look like’ быть похожим на, выглядеть как (описание внешности), so we match it with ‘to describe appearance, resemblance’ – описывать внешность, схожие черты.

Vlad: Hey, everything`s correct! Let`s go on then!

Use: What does Nancy look like? What is she like? What does Nancy like?

The first sentence: … – She is a slim good-looking girl. She`s quite tall. I think she`s as tall as my older sister. We`ve got Nancy`s appearance in the answer. So, we use ‘What does Nancy look like? Как Нэнси выглядит? How do we translate the answer? She`s quite tall. Она достаточно высокая.  I think she`s as tall as my older sister. Я думаю, что она… How do we translate ‘as tall as’? Maybe I`ll find the translation on the internet…

look: ‘as…as’’ – такой же как. So, in our case ‘as tall as’ means ‘такой же высокий, как’. Я думаю, что она такая же высокая, как и моя старшая сестра.

The next task: … - I can say that Nancy is a nice person. She`s not as serious as her elder sister but she`s 5 years younger. Here we speak about Nancy`s character. So, we use ‘What is Nancy like?” Какая Нэнси (по характеру?). I can say that Nancy is a nice person.  Я могу сказать, что Нэнси – приятный человек. ‘Not as serious as’… mmm …If ‘as … as’ means ‘такой же как’, then, ‘not as… as’ не такой как’. Точно! ‘As… as’ – такой же как, ‘not as…as’ – не такой как. She`s not as serious as her elder sister but she`s 5 years younger. Она не такая серьезная, как ее старшая сестра, но она ведь на 5 лет моложе!

And the final task: I`d like to buy her a present. But … So, it`s easy. Here we need to know what the person likes, her preferences. But what does Nancy like? Но что же нравится Нэнси?

Kirill: I think I`m ready to answer Sandra`s e-mail. Oh, look, it`s almost midnight! It`s too late now. I`ll do it tomorrow morning.